Past Sins
by reggietheus
Summary: Izzie encounters a man who leaves her in shambles. Will they find him and make him pay for his past sins after he made Izzie pay for hers? A little AlexIzzie action, could be McSteamyIzzie if you so desire? Hit me with suggestions.
1. Left Alone and Broken

Izzie stepped out of her car under the moonlight and headed to the stairs of where she had come to call home. A 48-hour shift behind her, the chaos mixed with boredom of the last two days had become the usual at Seattle Grace.

As her friends gallivanted off with their significant others, she was left alone in the darkness for a night of baking, bad television, and restless sleep. Beyond the fact she was no longer speaking to George thanks to his untimely marriage to the now Callie O'Malley, Meredith and Christina had never expressed much interest in spending social hour with Izzie. Instead, they had their boyfriends, or in Christina's case, her fiancé.

Shaking her purse to find the jangle of her keys, a somewhat familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Doctor Stevens?"

Izzie's head shot straight up when she heard the chilling tone. Before she even turned around she knew it was the man she had treated earlier that day.

He had approached The Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic that morning for no reason at all. He wasn't sick or bleeding, yet he demanded treatment from the "blonde doctor," as told to Dr. Bailey. His cold eyes stared up at her when she surveyed his chart that morning.

"Do you remember me?" He had asked. She shook her head and gave a light-hearted response that for the life of her she couldn't remember now.

"That's too bad," he replied eerily. She told him to go home and get some rest, though he was reluctant to leave the clinic. As he stood, he forcefully grabbed her arm and stared her down. "I'll see you again," he told her in a whisper. Izzie tried to rip herself away from him, but he stood his ground. It was then Alex intervened and tore the man off of Izzie and urged he leave the clinic before security got there.

Alex had turned to Izzie and asked if she was all right, but her eyes drifted to the door and she watched the odd man leave the clinic and she replied with a quick "yes," but inside she feared what had just transpired.

And now, hours later, he had appeared in her front yard. She turned around slowly to confirm her suspicions.

"You see? I told you we would meet again," he said.

"What are you doing here?" She asked confidently—too confidently in fact, as the voice inside her head told her to run inside the house and lock the door. But instead she prodded him for answers.

"I thought we should see each other. Face to face."

"I don't understand, how do you know me?"

"I know all about you," he said, taking a step up the stairs. He kept moving forward as Izzie squinted toward him, trying to place him, though she knew they had never met before.

"I used to be your biggest fan," he went on. "And then you disappeared. That wasn't very nice, Bethany."

"Bethany? Bethany… Bethany Whisper," she responded quietly as it dawned on her.

"Of course, Bethany Whisper! You don't know your own name?" He yelled at her as he finally made it to the porch. "Where did you go?" He yelled again.

"I—I was in medical school, I just needed to pay off my debt, I'm not Bethany Whisper."

"Yes, yes you are," he stood in front of her under the dim light of the porch. Izzie clutched her purse and made a move for her keys. Surprisingly he did nothing to protest her movement and she took the house key out and turned away from him to open the door.

"Stay away from me," she told him as she twisted the key and unlocked the deadbolt. Her voice shook with nervousness, knowing he was still behind her. As she pushed the wooden door open she felt his cold hand grab her head and shove it into the doorframe.

Seconds later Izzie's eyes fluttered open as she lay on the ground of the foyer. She was surrounded by darkness and all was quiet. She sat up and felt her head, a bruise had formed above her temple. She then realized what had just happened and made a move to run, but was stopped by the presence of the man above her.

"Bethany…don't you love me anymore?"

"I'm not Bethany," she said resolutely, her voice now shaking with anger instead of nerves.

"It took me years to find you, but I never gave up. How could I? We're meant to be together. And I wouldn't just abandon you like you did to me."

"I'm _not _Bethany Whisper," she said again, this time with more volume.

"Stop it," he said. She looked up at him and made a move to get up, but he hit her. "Stop it," he said again with force. She pushed herself up again and lunged at him. Taking him off guard, she managed to land him on his back. Izzie swung her arm back to strike him but he grabbed her wrist tightly in midair.

"Stop it, Bethany!" He yelled as he stood up with her arm still in his grasp. "Are you going to be a good girl, now?" Izzie looked up at him with disgust, "No." She said and kicked at his ankles. He released her as he fell and she scrambled toward the door. The handle was in her reach but she was kicked against the table before she had the chance to open it.

The man towered over her and she couldn't help but cower beneath him.

"I didn't want to resort to this, my dear," he said, reaching for his pocket. "But you leave me no choice," he took out a knife and it flashed in front of Izzie's face as he came down to her level.

"But I need to show you how much I love you, Bethany," he said. Izzie covered up a whimper as he grabbed her shoulder and dragged her to the middle of the foyer.

"Who are you," she mustered, hoping he would reveal something about himself.

"Like you don't know," he said slyly. He was on top of her now, one hand wielding the knife, the other moving down her body.

"Please don't," she said, closing her eyes as a tear escaped down her cheek. "How else will you know I love you?" He responded to her plea. She tried to scream as he unzipped her jeans, but all she could summon was a sob.

"Be quiet," he said sharply, pressing the knife to her neck, drawing a few drops of blood.

Minutes later he stood up and buttoned his pants, looking down at a very still Izzie on the ground. "You're not Bethany," he said with obvious disappointment in his voice. "Why would you lie to me," he asked. "Huh?" He yelled down to her, but she didn't respond.

He spit at her and stepped over her horizontal body. "You're a liar," he said roughly as he stood in the doorframe. "You're not Bethany Whisper." With that he slammed the door shut, leaving the foyer in disarray and Izzie Stevens lying on the floor, torn and broken.


	2. Relying on the Kindness of Friends

Lying hopeless on the floor, Izzie curled up and clutched her knees. Her eyes were wide with shock and sustained panic, yet held a vacant stare. She tried to cry, but she couldn't let the tears start to flow, knowing they would never stop.

After an hour clinging to the hardwood floor, she moved herself into action. She reached for the purse in the corner of the room and took out the cell phone she wished she had thought to access earlier.

She dialed a familiar number, expecting the ringing to go straight to voicemail as it had for the last few days. Izzie heard George's voice on the other end and as expected, she was prompted to leave a message. She pauses after the beep, not knowing what to say or how to say it.

"George," her voice is hoarse and sounds nothing like her typical airy tone. "I need—I need you. Please," she let out, again on the verge of tears. Still sitting on the ground she hesitated to hang up, but did just that and dropped the phone to the ground. Her hand slowly moved to her head, as she felt the now fully formed bruise on her temple. She felt around her other eye, now puffy and presumably red.

Slowly, Izzie rose to her feet and stood in the empty foyer, surveying the damage. On autopilot, she left the house and went straight to her car. Insert keys to the ignition, turn to the right, and put in reverse, she told herself. Before she even realized where she was going she found herself back at the hospital.

Stepping toward the clinic, she didn't even think of what she would tell whoever was on duty. She hoped words wouldn't be necessary, but knew an explanation would be requested. Through the freshly painted doors of the clinic were two or three other patients, but it was mostly empty at 2 a.m. The sound of the doors closing made Dr. Bailey react with the same rhetoric she always said when someone walked into the clinic,

"Welcome to the free clinic, if you could fill out the form to your left, we'll be right with you," she stated automatically from the side of the room, back turned to the incoming person. The patient she was working on looked past Bailey and his concerned look made Bailey turn around to see what caused his staring fit.

"Stevens? What are you doing here?" She rushed toward her and looked up at her battered face, "Izzie…" She gently touched her arm, which caused Izzie to flinch and pull back slightly. She closed her eyes in embarrassment.

"I need a rape exam," she said defeated, eyes still closed, hoping no other questions would be asked of her. Bailey's face fell and she guided Izzie to the back of the room. Closing the curtain behind her, she sat Izzie down on the cot and stared at her bruises.

"Izzie, what happened?"

"Please, don't." She pleaded, hoping Bailey would comply, but knowing full well that she would press the issue to find out the extent of the situation.

With a sigh, Bailey responded gently, "Ok. Let me get the kit. Just, change into a gown," she said, leaving Izzie to sit on the bed alone. Again, she closed her eyes and replayed what had just happened mere hours before. A flash of fear ran through her as she thought about what happened. She stood up and changed into the dull blue grown allotted to that particular space, trying to forget the last few hours of her life.

Bailey returned, gripping the bag of instruments Izzie recognized from previous rape tests she had administered herself.

"Just sit back," Bailey instructed. "Just relax," she assured, but knew Izzie would do anything but relax. As Izzie rested her head on the pillow she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping for Bailey to get it over with as quickly as possible. Resting her wrist on her forehead, palm facing outward, she let out a long sigh. This caught the attention of Bailey,

"You're going to be all right, you hear me? Izzie? You're going to be all right."

Izzie responded with silence. After a pause, Bailey continues her work and minutes later she tells Izzie she's finished, who in turn stays still on the cot. Bailey moves her chair to the bedside and touches Izzie's hand.

"I know you don't want to right now, but you have to talk to the police," she said slowly.

"No," Izzie reacted by sitting straight up, "No, I can't talk to the police. Not now, not yet."

"Izzie, they need to find who did this to you. Do you know who it was?" Izzie responded with a softer reply, "No." Bailey waited, hoping there would be more to her answer, but she didn't elaborate.

"I called them already; they'll be here any minute. They just need to ask some questions, just simple questions. They need to do a report." Izzie considered it and knew there was no way to get out of this situation. She nodded in compliance. Bailey got up and checked the front to find two police officers waiting in the reception area. She waved them back and then she saw Alex enter the clinic.

"She's at the last curtain," she instructs the officers, but her eyes on Karev. She goes to him,

"Karev, what are you doing here?"

"I needed to pick up an extra shift, thought I could be of some assistance," he pauses and looks toward the back, "What's the fuzz doing here?" He asks intrigued.

"None of your business," Bailey replies, he makes a move to pass her, but she stops him. "Karev, if you want to make yourself useful, head to the pit." He gave her a quizzical look, but then complied with her demand. He knew better to cross Bailey when she was in that mood. The no time for attitude mood.

She quickly returned to the back curtain to find Izzie sitting at the foot of the cot, hands on the bed holding her steady. The officers held a pad of paper and had already scribbled down a few things.

"Had you seen him before?" The first officer asked.

"No, well, yes," she began. "He came into the clinic earlier today," she said, which made Bailey look at her with furrowed brow.

"You mean he was here? You met him here?" Bailey asked. Izzie sighed and kept her head down, "He was the one who asked for me," she continued. "I guess he followed me home."

The officers nodded and scribbled down the note. "We got your description of him and we'll try to see if he's in the system," the second one told her assuredly. "Until then, you should stay alert, be with friends. If he's still out there, he might come for you again," this made Izzie's head look up.

"What?" She was worried now, as she originally thought she had seen the last of him.

"It's not likely, but you need to be cautious," the first officer said and with that they turned to leave. "We'll be in touch," they said and left Bailey alone with Izzie. They sat in silence for a few moments, but it was Izzie who broke it.

"I should, uh…I should go home," she said.

"That's a good idea," Bailey replied as they both stood. "Do you have someone to pick you up?"

"I drove here, it's fine. I'll just—it's fine," Izzie said, but with a hint of worry lingering in her tone.

"No, you heard what the police said, you should call someone. I can call someone for you, who do you want? George?" Izzie shook her head,

"I already tried him. He's uh, he's not talking to me," she said sadly.

"Well, I'm not putting up with his sorry excuses, this trumps a silly feud," Bailey said determined, but Izzie shook her head again.

"No, don't bother him. He doesn't want to see me and I don't want to use this as—I don't want to see him either. Not now." Bailey considered the options, she quickly had a solution.

"Karev's in the pit, he can drive you home. Is that all right?" Izzie nodded, "Yeah, Alex is fine. Anyone, just not George."

Minutes later Alex appeared in the clinic, "So you pass me up and now you can't resist my services, huh?" He said light-heartedly to Bailey, who was waiting in the reception for him. Her serious demeanor changed his, "What is it?"

"It's Izzie," Bailey responded, which in turn made Alex look around the empty clinic and it triggered his memory of the police from earlier. He moved to the back of the room, "Karev," Bailey said behind him, urging him to wait for her to give an explanation, but he made it to the curtain and whipped it open.

There she sat, head down, knotting her fingers together. She looked up at him slowly, knowing she was defaced and disheveled, she didn't make eye contact. He didn't know what to do or say, so as the room was yet again quiet, Izzie stood and again broke it.

"Could you take me home?" She asked almost shyly as she stood. He touched her back and guided her out, "Of course," he said. With that they walked out of the clinic, leaving a concerned Bailey to run tests from the rape kit.

The ride to the house was plagued with silence. But it wasn't an awkward one, as they had been through a ride like this before after Denny died. Alex didn't push for answers and Izzie didn't volunteer any to the multitude of questions she knew was swarming through his head.

As soon as he parked in the driveway, Izzie stayed completely still as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Not knowing if she had realized, he stated the obvious, "We're here." Izzie nodded, "Thank you, Alex." Still, she didn't move from her position in the passenger seat.

"Iz, what happened?" She knew he would ask eventually and she also knew he would find out eventually.

"I didn't see him follow me home," she said flatly. "I wouldn't have gotten out of the car if I had seen him. I should have fought harder," she said, voice cracking.

"Who did this to you?"

"That man. That man from this morning. He followed me home, he hit me, he took out a knife, and then he raped me on the floor."

"Oh God," Alex sighed. She finally made a move to leave the car and Alex jumped out and rounded the hood to open the passenger side door. They walked together to the front and Izzie unlocked the door just as she had done before, but now the man behind her was her friend, not the enemy.

"Want me to come in?"

"I'm going to take a shower, you don't have to stay." With that she went into the house and hurried up the stairs. Alex looked around the foyer and noticed the knocked table and the remnants of an obvious struggle. He heaved a sigh and looked up the stairs when he heard the rushing water through the pipes.

He closed the door behind him, locked it, and sat on the couch in the adjoining living room. He wouldn't leave until Izzie felt safe in her own home and he realized it might be a while.


	3. Locking Up on the Inside and Out

The water hit her face hard as the steam started to rise above the porcelain tub. The hot spray stung at first, but the pain soon subsided into a dull yet comforting numbness. Izzie's pure as snow skin turned red after a few minutes under the stream of water.

Every time she saw his face, she scrubbed that much harder. Every time she remembered his touch, she scrubbed that much harder. Every time she thought of the cool knife piercing her neck, she scrubbed that much harder.

Alex remained downstairs in his watchdog position on the couch, but as soon as he heard voices approach the door he leaped from his seat. By the time he reached the door it had been opened, but it was only Meredith and Derrick. She was laughing and so was he, but if only they knew, Alex thought to himself.

"Alex," Meredith said, as more of a statement than a question as to why he was in their house. She looked around, "Alex, what the hell did you do to this place?" She said, her smile fading a bit, but still in a jovial mood. Derrick closed the door behind him.

"Uh, it wasn't me," Alex said softly, putting his hands in his back pockets. Meredith looked at him, prodding for more answers without verbally asking them herself.

"It was Izzie, well…it wasn't Izzie, but," Alex stopped, not knowing how to say it. Derrick stepped in, noticing the somber mood of the typically feisty intern.

"What happened, Karev?"

"A patient followed Izzie home tonight," he began. "He hit her and he…" Meredith looked around the foyer, "Oh my God," she said, practically under her breath, yet audible. Alex didn't finish the sentence, instead he fast-forwarded.

"She drove herself to the clinic, Bailey had to do a rape exam," he finished, leaving it up to the imagination of the others to fill in the blanks. "Where is she?" Meredith asked.

"She's taking a shower. It's been a while though, at least an hour." He listened attentively and heard the water was still running.

"Oh my God, what do we do? How do we, you know, how do we handle this?" She looked back and forth between Alex and Derrick for answers. It was Derrick who responded evenly.

"Just see if she needs anything, but maybe leave her alone to sort it out, or stay with her? I don't know. I don't know," he repeated, genuinely giving it some thought.

"I'm staying here tonight, until they get this guy," Alex volunteered.

"You mean they haven't caught him? He's still out there?" Meredith panicked now and rushed toward the door to make sure it was locked.

"We need to keep the doors locked, make sure the windows are too."

"Meredith, Meredith," Derrick grabbed his floundering girlfriend to calm her down, "You're right, we need to do all those things, but you need to stay calm and collected, ok? You need to stay calm for Izzie. Alex and I will lock all the doors, you should go check on her."

"Ok, yeah. I can do that." Meredith started up the stairs, but then turned, "Alex? Does George know?" Alex shook his head, "I don't know, I'd think he'd be here by now if he did." Meredith nodded and hurried up the stairs toward the bathroom.

A soft knock wouldn't suffice over the sounds of the heaving water, so she rapped three times on the door. There was no response. She knew by now it will have run cold, they barely have time for five minutes each of hot water.

"Izzie?" Meredith called out and had flashbacks to when Denny's death left Izzie stunned on the bathroom floor for days. She turned the handle and wasn't surprised to find the door was left unlocked. "Iz?" She spotted her in the end of the tub, water still streaming down on her as she pulled her knees close to her chest and stared blankly at the bathroom wall.

"Izzie," Meredith said as she grabbed a cream colored towel and held it out for her, "Come on, Iz, you should get up." She didn't move, but Meredith noticed she was shivering and covered in goosebumps. She reached inside the shower and turned the faucet off, leaving the room noticeably quiet. Izzie broke her trance and squeezed her eyes shut, "Meredith?" She questioned, looking up at her friend with sad eyes.

"Yeah Izzie, it's me, come on, let's get you warmed up," Izzie stood and wrapped herself in the towel Meredith was stretching out for her. Meredith noticed the bruises covering Izzie's face and that's when it all soaked in. This could have happened to any of them.

Meredith got Izzie settled in her room and then she emerged downstairs to let the men know she was…well, Meredith didn't know how Izzie was. All she had said was her name and nothing else.

"Hey," Meredith said to Derrick as she entered the living room. "She's…she's not good," she managed to spit out. "But I don't know what to do. Or say. She's completely broken."

"I'm going to go and sit with her," Alex said. "Make sure she falls asleep." By the time Alex was upstairs Meredith settled into the arms of Derrick on the couch.

"This could have happened to any one of us," she said. "Me, Christina. Is it selfish to think that?"

"No, you're right. Who could do something like that?" He asked in response.

"When they find him? He's going to have hell to pay," she said.

Alex knocked on Izzie's door and she opened it for him. She held onto it as she peered out the slight opening.

"Hey," he said softly, "Do you need anything?"

"No, no I'm ok, thanks," she said with a strong air.

"Can I sit with you? It'll make me feel better, knowing you're ok," Izzie slightly smiled in response, not what Alex had expected, thinking she would protest.

"Please," she said and opened the door wide and she went to her bed. She lied down, knowing it would hours until she fell asleep, if at all. Alex sat on the chair next to the bed and leaned in, "I'm here for you, Iz. For as long as you need me." She smiled again at his reassurance.

"Thank you," she responded ever so grateful. He took her hand in his and held it there, gently stroking it, hoping it would lull her into sleep. But instead, he was the one who drifted off an hour later, while Izzie lay wide awake, again replaying her tormentor's attack.

"I'm not Bethany Whisper," she said quietly to herself, as she closed her eyes and cried.


	4. Confused and Concerned

The steam from her coffee cup had finally faded and the liquid in her cup turned cold. Izzie sat at the kitchen table, staring at the blank wall, her back turned to the kitchen. It was around 6 a.m. and her perfect posture wasn't disturbed even when she heard their voices.

"I come home for a shower and there's not even hot water left," it was George. His voice grew louder as he entered the kitchen. Izzie assumed his girlfriend was in tow, but waited to hear her voice to confirm.

"I told you to just take one at my place, hey Izzie," Callie called out mid-sentence, noticing the blonde with her back turned against them. When Izzie didn't respond, Callie rolled her eyes.

"Ok, good morning to you, too," she stated sarcastically.

"Ignore her," George said quietly, but loud enough for Izzie to hear the stinging words. "Oh and thanks for the wake up call last night, Iz. Really, a call begging to talk to me after I just worked a double shift was just what I needed at midnight," George and Callie spoke amongst themselves for a few seconds before the sound of Alex bounding down the stairs interrupted them. He went straight over to Izzie,

"Hey," he said softly. "I got worried when you weren't in bed," he placed a protective hand on her shoulder.

"Oh my God, you two are an item again?" George said, with slight disgust, but mostly disbelief.

"It only makes sense, they're the two models in the group," Callie said.

"We're not together like that, and I was never a model," Alex responded confused.

"Yeah, but you could have been. And what was your alter ego, Brittany? Beverly?" Callie tried to think of the name, George completed her thought,

"Bethany Whisper," he said. Izzie jumped out of her seat and turned toward them.

"I am _not _Bethany Whisper," she yelled at them, as they finally saw her bruised face. "Don't you ever call me that again," she said resolutely. George looked taken aback by her ferocity and the condition of her face. Izzie brushed past Callie and headed to the front door,

"Iz, where are you going?" Alex asked.

"I need to get out this place," she said. He hurried after her. He planned to stop her at the door, but didn't have to when he got held up behind her, as she stood frozen in the foyer. She stared at the area, which had been cleaned up from the night before.

"Iz," Alex said, getting past her and watching her gaze at the scene in front of her.

"It's like it never happened," she said. George came into the hallway, face still ridden with concern and confusion.

"But it did. And I can't get it out of my head, Alex," she said, still staring at the floor in front of her.

"I tried to get him off of me, I tried, you know? I really tried," she said, moving to the middle of the room, her eyes closed reenacting it in her mind, moving around where she had been last night.

Meredith hurried down the stairs after hearing voices. She stood at the landing to see what was going to unfold.

"Izzie," George started, but Izzie stopped him.

"Save it, George. This doesn't change anything. Don't feel sorry for me, I don't want your pity and I can already hear it in your voice," she said. "I just need to be alone,"

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Meredith said slowly.

"I'm not just going to sit here, feeling sorry for myself, with all of you watching over me thinking 'oh, poor Isobel, crying again on the bathroom floor'," she said.

"Izzie, that's not what we're thinking. We're here to help you process this, we're here for you." Meredith began.

"I don't know how to process this," she said in frustration. "I'm sorry. I just, I can't do this," she said in an exhausted sigh. She put her wrist up to her forehead and closed her eyes. "I can't do this." In her moment of weakness, her phone rang. She reached into her pocket and recognized it was the hospital. She looked down, not wanting to answer.

"Hello," she reluctantly said and then continued, "Ok." She hung up and looked down at the phone in her hand.

"They have my results," she said slowly. "They want me to come down."

"I'll drive," Alex said.

"No, I don't want to go," Izzie replied. "It makes it too real."

"You need to go down there," Alex said, pushing her to think of her health. "You know you need to do this," She sighed in response and nodded in compliance. Then she and Alex were out the door.

Meredith walked over to George and Callie, who eventually joined the group in the middle of Izzie's tirade.

"George?"

"Results for what?" He asked her in a deadpan tone, not making eye contact and keeping his gaze toward the front door. "What's she talking about?" Meredith sighed.

"A patient followed her home last night. She was raped."

"No, no…," he said in disbelief.

"George, you saw her. You heard what she said," Callie replied.

"This isn't happening," he said.

"It happened. This is real," Meredith said. "I know it's hard to believe, but it happened and it's not our fault."

"She called me!" he yelled, breaking his gaze and staring at Meredith. "She called me last night and I ignored it. God, what was I thinking? I even listed to her message," he admitted.

"You didn't know," Callie said.

"Yeah, but I should have! I heard the pain in her voice, she said she needed me and I just ignored her. What kind of person does that?"

"You didn't know," Callie reiterated.

"He's still out there," Meredith interjected, causing them to look up. "They haven't caught him, they don't even know who he is," she said.

"I'm going down there," he said.

"I don't think she wants to see you right now," Callie said.

"You said he was a patient," George said and Meredith nodded. "That means there's a chart, there's paperwork, his name has to be on there," Meredith widened her eyes in realization.

"Of course, my God, how didn't we think of that earlier?" She asked to no one in particular. "Let's go."


End file.
